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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. field — for sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — farmland
  7. spring — the season
  8. field — a subject
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stock — goods
  12. last — finally
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ground — a position
  15. mug — a face
  16. stock — shares
  17. last — final
  18. spring — of water
  19. last — to go on
  20. ground — the earth
  21. net — for catching
  22. mug — a cup
  23. net — in sport
  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