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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pit — a hole
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pass — a permit
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pit — in a race
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. season — of the year
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. field — farmland
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. row — a line
  23. field — a subject
  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