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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. field — for sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pit — in a race
  6. field — farmland
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — a subject
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cold — an illness
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rest — a break
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pit — a hole
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bank — for money

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