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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pit — in a race
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. field — for sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. key — for a lock
  15. spring — the season
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. field — a subject
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. face — to confront
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pit — a hole

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