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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pit — in a race
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. field — for sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kick — in football

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