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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. race — humankind
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pit — a hole
  5. field — farmland
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. race — a contest
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pit — in a race
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. swing — to play on
  15. field — a subject
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. club — a group
  18. swing — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. race — the arms race
  21. swing — in golf
  22. present — there
  23. field — for sport
  24. club — for golf

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