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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bat — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. press — a publisher
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. press — to push
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. charge — in control
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pit — a hole
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pit — in a race
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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