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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. field — farmland
  6. rock — music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rock — a stone
  9. field — for sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cap — a hat
  12. swing — music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. file — a document
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. field — a subject
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wave — of the sea

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