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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spell — letters
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a document
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. field — for sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. toast — bread
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pit — in a race
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. field — a subject
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. file — a tool
  21. field — farmland
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. spell — magic

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