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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bound — certain
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — a subject
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. field — for sport
  18. lash — a whip stroke

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