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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. field — for sport
  2. pit — in a race
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spring — a coil
  7. field — a subject
  8. spring — of water
  9. club — a group
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lie — to recline
  15. spring — the season
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rest — a break
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. field — farmland
  21. pit — a hole
  22. club — for golf
  23. lie — an untruth
  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