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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 · mine · race · present · mug · fall · lean · swing

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mine — for digging
  5. race — a contest
  6. present — a gift
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — a face
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. lean — thin
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fall — the season
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — music
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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