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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spring — the season
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pit — in a race
  11. field — farmland
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. field — a subject
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. date — the fruit
  19. toast — bread
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pit — a hole
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. field — for sport

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