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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. deal — to handle
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pit — in a race
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. charge — electricity
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. charge — a price
  16. pit — a hole
  17. swing — in golf
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. charge — in control
  23. degree — temperature
  24. coach — a trainer

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