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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. field — a subject
  3. scale — in music
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. field — for sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. scale — size or range
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cap — a lid
  13. field — farmland
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cap — of ice
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pit — in a race
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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