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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. field — farmland
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rash — hasty
  15. field — a subject
  16. bass — low music
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rash — a series
  24. spring — the season

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