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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pit — a hole
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. kick — in football
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pit — in a race
  14. toast — bread
  15. season — in sport
  16. press — to push
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chest — a box
  20. present — there
  21. season — of the year
  22. press — a publisher
  23. present — the time now
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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