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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. charge — a price
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pit — in a race
  6. club — for golf
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitch — completely
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cold — an illness
  17. charge — in control
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. charge — electricity
  20. press — to push
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com