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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. net — in sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. pit — in a race
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. field — farmland
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — after costs
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. net — for catching
  24. chest — a box

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