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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rule — a law
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. pit — in a race
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rule — government
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fall — to drop
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wound — an injury

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