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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bound — tied together
  4. tear — to rip
  5. present — the time now
  6. field — a subject
  7. land — to come down
  8. field — farmland
  9. pit — a hole
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — ground
  13. mine — for digging
  14. field — for sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. present — a gift
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. tear — from crying
  20. present — there
  21. land — a country
  22. bound — obliged
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bound — certain

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