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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. present — there
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — the time now
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — for sport
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. present — a gift
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — a group
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. field — farmland
  22. kick — in football
  23. field — a subject
  24. kid — child

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