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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. field — for sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fall — the season
  19. field — farmland
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — a grade
  22. game — a match
  23. pit — a hole
  24. ruler — for measuring

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