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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. field — farmland
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. content — the amount
  8. field — a subject
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ground — crushed
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. chest — a box
  13. cue — for pool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ground — a position
  17. content — happy
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. field — for sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chest — of your body

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