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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — for sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mine — for digging
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rest — a break
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. tube — a container
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rest — what's left
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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