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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. fall — the season
  3. field — farmland
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. field — a subject
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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