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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pit — in a race
  3. field — for sport
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. key — in music
  6. field — farmland
  7. press — a publisher
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. key — the most important part
  10. press — newspapers
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — a hole
  13. game — wild animals
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. roll — a list
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — for a lock
  18. roll — a cake
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — a subject
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. press — to push

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