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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. clip — to cut
  5. net — for catching
  6. field — for sport
  7. clip — a video
  8. pit — in a race
  9. craft — a skill
  10. net — in sport
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. craft — boats
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pit — a hole
  24. net — after costs

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