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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. last — to go on
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ground — the earth
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. charge — electricity
  10. last — final
  11. charge — a price
  12. band — a music group
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. last — finally
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ground — a position
  20. charge — in control
  21. pit — a hole
  22. band — a ring
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ground — crushed

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