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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. field — for sport
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pass — a permit
  6. spell — a short time
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. shower — rain
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — to breed
  12. march — music
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. spell — magic
  18. mate — a friend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spell — letters
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pit — a hole

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