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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. firm — a company
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pit — a hole
  5. season — in sport
  6. track — to keep track
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pit — in a race
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. track — a song
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rash — hasty
  15. field — for sport
  16. firm — decided
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rash — a series
  19. field — a subject
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. firm — steady
  23. track — a path
  24. season — of the year

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