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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. track — a song
  3. march — the month
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. track — a path
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — hasty
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — music
  16. pit — a hole
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. march — the month
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — a series
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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