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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — final
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — letters
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pit — in a race
  8. roll — a list
  9. field — for sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — hasty
  12. last — to go on
  13. rash — a series
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. craft — a skill
  19. roll — a cake
  20. spell — a short time
  21. craft — boats
  22. last — finally
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. spell — magic

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