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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. field — farmland
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. land — to come down
  7. fall — to drop
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cap — a lid
  10. land — a country
  11. shower — to wash
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — the season
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — rain
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — ground

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