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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. race — a contest
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mate — a partner
  8. press — a publisher
  9. content — the amount
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. race — humankind
  12. charge — a price
  13. race — the arms race
  14. content — happy
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. charge — in control
  18. kick — in football
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mate — to breed

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