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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. last — final
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pit — a hole
  13. last — to go on
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pit — in a race
  18. field — farmland
  19. bass — low music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — for sport
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bass — the fish

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