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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. field — a subject
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mine — for digging
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rush — hurry
  9. roll — a list
  10. rest — a break
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — farmland
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. field — for sport
  17. charge — a price
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rest — what's left
  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