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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. field — for sport
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. can — a tin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. field — farmland
  15. rest — a break
  16. rash — a series
  17. scale — in music
  18. field — a subject
  19. rest — what's left
  20. content — the amount
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. can — to be able to
  23. scale — size or range
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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