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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pop — soda
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — a subject
  8. spell — a short time
  9. field — farmland
  10. pop — music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. key — in music
  14. spell — letters
  15. key — the most important part
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pop — to visit
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spell — magic
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — for sport
  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