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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mug — a face
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cell — a phone
  5. field — a subject
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pit — in a race
  8. field — for sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. toast — bread
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. field — farmland
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pit — a hole

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