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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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 fruit stone
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — a song
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. snap — to click
  6. press — newspapers
  7. track — a path
  8. press — to push
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. kid — to tease
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kid — child
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pit — in a race
  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