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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. shower — to wash
  5. board — to get on
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. field — farmland
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. board — a committee
  15. fine — all right
  16. shower — rain
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pit — a hole
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pit — in a race
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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