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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cell — in biology
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fork — in a road
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fine — all right
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. dip — to sink
  22. field — farmland
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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