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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pit — a hole
  3. club — for golf
  4. field — for sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — farmland
  7. tube — a container
  8. rest — what's left
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. last — to go on
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. last — finally
  19. rest — a break
  20. field — a subject
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. club — a group
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. last — final

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