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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mug — a face
  10. suit — clothes
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mug — a cup
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — a subject
  23. suit — in cards
  24. kick — in football

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