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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bound — obliged
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spring — the season
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — of water
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fine — all right
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — high quality
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. field — a subject

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