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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. last — finally
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. field — farmland
  9. last — final
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ground — a position
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. drill — army training
  18. last — to go on
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rest — a break
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pit — a hole

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