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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — a subject
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. content — happy
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. content — the amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rest — a break
  19. branch — a division
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mark — to pay attention

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