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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · kid · pit · dip · march · press · mark · spell

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. march — music
  3. press — to push
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. kid — to tease
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. march — the month
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. press — a publisher
  12. row — a line
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. press — newspapers
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mark — a grade
  21. kid — child
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. march — the month

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