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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pop — music
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mark — a trace
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pop — to visit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bat — the animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pop — soda
  24. content — videos and posts

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