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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. field — a subject
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. field — farmland
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pit — a hole
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. field — for sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. band — a ring
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. staff — employees
  19. mark — a trace
  20. band — a music group
  21. staff — employees
  22. mark — a grade
  23. craft — boats
  24. bat — the animal

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