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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rash — a series
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — of the year
  7. rash — hasty
  8. field — a subject
  9. pit — in a race
  10. season — in sport
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bat — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fine — all right
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. field — for sport

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