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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pit — in a race
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — in control
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chest — a box
  12. press — newspapers
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. press — to push
  16. object — a thing
  17. charge — a price
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. object — an aim
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. object — to protest
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. press — a publisher

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