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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. content — the amount
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. content — happy
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — a match
  9. club — a group
  10. current — electric
  11. wax — to grow
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — for golf
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. club — for dancing
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. current — happening now
  23. field — farmland
  24. current — of water

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