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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. file — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mate — to breed
  8. plane — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — for sport
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. field — a subject
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. club — a group
  22. field — farmland
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rash — hasty

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