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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wake — a trail
  3. key — in music
  4. lie — to recline
  5. field — a subject
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. key — the most important part
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pit — a hole
  19. drill — army training
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. drill — a practice
  23. field — farmland
  24. drill — the tool

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