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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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468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a match
  7. mug — a cup
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — the season
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — in a race
  16. spring — of water
  17. can — a tin
  18. mug — a face
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pit — a hole
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mug — to rob
  23. spring — a coil
  24. press — to push

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