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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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. dip — to dunk
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pit — a hole
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. last — to go on
  8. bass — low music
  9. field — for sport
  10. mug — to rob
  11. field — farmland
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — finally
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. last — final
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitch — completely
  22. field — a subject
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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