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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — a hole
  9. field — farmland
  10. swing — music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. drill — a practice
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — in football
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. kid — to tease
  24. swing — to play on

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