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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — happening now
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. field — a subject
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. current — of water
  10. field — farmland
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. current — electric
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. field — for sport
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — a professorship

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