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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. field — for sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fine — all right
  13. field — a subject
  14. fine — high quality
  15. key — in music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pit — a hole
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ground — a position
  22. lean — thin
  23. ground — crushed
  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