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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. track — a song
  3. sharp — clever
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. field — farmland
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. track — a path
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pit — in a race
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. can — a tin
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. plane — a tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. field — a subject
  24. plane — in geometry

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