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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pit — in a race
  3. sharp — clever
  4. field — for sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — a hole
  19. spring — the season
  20. field — a subject
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. scale — in music

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