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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. field — a subject
  3. fine — high quality
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mate — a friend
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pit — in a race
  18. foot — a measure
  19. capital — a city
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — certain
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pit — a hole
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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