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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cell — in biology
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. prune — to trim
  9. date — the fruit
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitch — completely
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — a phone
  19. kid — child
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. press — to push
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pit — a hole

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