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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. court — of a king
  9. pit — in a race
  10. face — part of the head
  11. field — for sport
  12. face — to point toward
  13. press — newspapers
  14. court — of law
  15. pit — a hole
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. face — to confront
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. press — a publisher
  22. field — a subject
  23. press — to push
  24. field — farmland

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