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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. can — a tin
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. can — a tin
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pit — in a race
  17. field — farmland
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bound — certain
  23. bore — to tire
  24. field — a subject

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