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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. field — a subject
  3. court — for sport
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pit — in a race
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. court — of law
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — for sport
  14. game — wild animals
  15. snap — to click
  16. rock — music
  17. field — farmland
  18. game — a match
  19. court — of a king
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pass — a permit
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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