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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. roll — a list
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. suit — clothes
  5. field — for sport
  6. pit — a hole
  7. suit — in cards
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hand — help
  10. roll — a cake
  11. drill — army training
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. can — a tin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. hand — in cards
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — the tool
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pit — in a race
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. can — to be able to
  24. suit — to fit

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