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

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spring — of water
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. charge — in control
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — the season
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. charge — a price
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pit — a hole
  17. field — farmland
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spring — a coil
  20. field — a subject
  21. craft — a skill
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — for sport

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