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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. ball — a great time
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. field — farmland
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cell — in biology
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a dance
  20. field — for sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — certain
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. cell — a phone

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