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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bulb — for light
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. band — a ring
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. band — a music group
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — completely
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. field — for sport

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