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

Word bank: pit · chest · bat · lie · chair · drill · press · jam

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chest — a box
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. drill — army training
  16. press — to push
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. drill — a practice

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