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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. file — a line of people
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. file — a document
  8. bass — low music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. field — farmland
  14. bass — the fish
  15. field — a subject
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chair — a leader
  20. field — for sport
  21. file — a tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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