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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mark — a grade
  3. season — of the year
  4. swing — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. season — in sport
  7. swing — to play on
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pit — in a race
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cold — not warm
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mark — a trace

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