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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. row — a line
  3. spell — magic
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. staff — a stick
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pit — a hole
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bat — the animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. press — to push
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spell — letters
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. press — a publisher
  19. staff — employees
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stand — to bear
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pit — in a race
  24. staff — employees

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