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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. last — finally
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. field — for sport
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. last — final
  12. prune — to trim
  13. present — the time now
  14. mark — a trace
  15. last — to go on
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mark — a grade
  20. present — there
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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