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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: pit · foot · rest · mine · press · season · tube · pass

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — in sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. season — of the year
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. press — to push
  13. rest — a break
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pit — in a race
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tube — the underground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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