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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bank — for money
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. squash — to crush
  11. field — a subject
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — for sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. staff — employees
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. squash — the sport
  24. staff — a stick

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