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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. field — a subject
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. file — a document
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. game — a match
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pit — in a race
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mark — a grade
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. file — a tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stand — to bear

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