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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. tear — from crying
  4. charge — electricity
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — farmland
  9. ground — crushed
  10. charge — a price
  11. field — a subject
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ground — a position
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. field — for sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pit — a hole
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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