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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — wild animals
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chair — a leader
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — boats
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mine — for digging
  23. game — a match
  24. pass — a permit

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