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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mug — a face
  3. tear — to rip
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. court — of a king
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — a subject
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — farmland
  15. mug — to rob
  16. court — for sport
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. field — for sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — of law
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. last — to go on

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