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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. last — to go on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. last — finally
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. last — final
  10. rest — what's left
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bass — the fish
  14. track — a path
  15. bass — low music
  16. field — farmland
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rest — a break
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. field — a subject
  23. arm — part of the body
  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