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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cell — in biology
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. field — a subject
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. field — for sport
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. field — farmland
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wax — to grow
  21. season — of the year
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cell — a phone

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