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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mug — to rob
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mug — a cup
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitch — completely
  11. field — a subject
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. field — for sport
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. field — farmland
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fine — all right
  23. drill — army training
  24. pit — in a race

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