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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. capital — a city
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cap — a hat
  7. last — finally
  8. cap — of ice
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mate — a friend
  12. saw — the tool
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. last — final
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mate — to breed
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pit — a hole
  19. field — farmland
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cap — a lid
  23. field — for sport
  24. last — to go on

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