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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. staff — a stick
  5. band — a music group
  6. pit — in a race
  7. can — a tin
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cell — in biology
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. land — to come down
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cell — a phone
  15. staff — employees
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. season — of the year
  19. can — to be able to
  20. band — a ring
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. staff — employees
  23. can — a tin
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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