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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fine — all right
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. field — for sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rash — a series

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