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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. row — a line
  3. field — a subject
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pit — a hole
  8. field — farmland
  9. bass — low music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ground — a position
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. field — for sport
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ground — the earth
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pit — in a race

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