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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rest — a break
  5. pit — in a race
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — a practice
  8. field — a subject
  9. rest — what's left
  10. drill — army training
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. branch — a division
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kick — in football
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rest — what's left

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