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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pit — a hole
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. press — a publisher
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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