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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ground — the earth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ground — crushed
  5. field — farmland
  6. rock — a stone
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pit — a hole
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. season — in sport
  14. rock — music
  15. season — of the year
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. field — a subject
  19. ground — a position
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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