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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — for sport
  5. club — for dancing
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. club — for golf
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. field — a subject
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. field — farmland
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bark — to shout
  20. face — to point toward
  21. club — a group
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bulb — of a plant

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