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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pit — a hole
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pit — in a race
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — farmland
  12. fork — in a road
  13. field — a subject
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. field — for sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ground — a position
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — a phone

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