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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pit — in a race
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ground — the earth
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. press — to push
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. object — a thing
  13. ground — a position
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — happening now
  17. pit — a hole
  18. kid — child
  19. object — to protest
  20. ground — crushed
  21. current — electric
  22. fine — all right
  23. current — of water
  24. kid — to tease

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