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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 120 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: present · pit · cabinet · kick · spring · squash · lie · rock

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. present — a gift
  5. rock — a stone
  6. kick — in football
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pit — in a race
  12. spring — the season
  13. present — the time now
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rock — music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — a coil
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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