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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. press — a publisher
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fall — the season
  11. press — newspapers
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pit — a hole
  15. press — to push
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. can — a tin
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. foot — part of the body

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