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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — for catching
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. net — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. field — a subject
  12. rock — music
  13. field — for sport
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. field — farmland
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — after costs
  24. bowl — a dish

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