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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. suit — clothes
  3. season — in sport
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. season — of the year
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rule — a law
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. press — to push
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rule — government
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bat — in an idiom

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