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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. field — for sport
  4. date — the fruit
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. file — a document
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. field — a subject
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mark — a grade
  20. field — farmland
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. file — a line of people

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