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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. roll — a list
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. toast — bread
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pit — in a race
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. roll — a cake
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rash — a series
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. season — of the year
  19. field — for sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. roll — on a roll
  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