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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pit — a hole
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rock — a stone
  10. spell — a short time
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. spell — letters
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — magic
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — farmland
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. lie — to recline
  24. calf — a young 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