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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. present — the time now
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cue — for pool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. press — newspapers
  15. present — a gift
  16. pit — in a race
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. present — there
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — an explosive

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