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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mug — a face
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — to rob
  7. field — farmland
  8. ground — the earth
  9. field — a subject
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ground — a position
  12. saw — the tool
  13. suit — clothes
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. suit — in cards
  17. field — for sport
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pit — a hole
  24. ground — crushed

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