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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wind — moving air
  6. present — the time now
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. field — farmland
  12. present — there
  13. ground — a position
  14. field — for sport
  15. pit — in a race
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. present — a gift
  20. field — a subject
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rush — hurry

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