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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. press — to push
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cell — in biology
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pit — in a race
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cell — a phone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mine — for digging
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — army training
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pit — a hole
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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