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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pit — in a race
  4. dip — to sink
  5. scale — in music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pit — a hole
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. field — farmland
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mark — a trace
  13. field — a subject
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. vault — a safe
  18. field — for sport
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. scale — size or range
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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