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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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing 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. firm — a company
  2. rash — hasty
  3. field — a subject
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rash — a series
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. firm — decided
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. field — farmland
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mug — a face
  16. dip — to sink
  17. firm — steady
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — on the skin
  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