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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.

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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hand — in cards
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. press — newspapers
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. prune — to trim
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. hand — help
  24. pit — in a race

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