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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a dance
  4. field — for sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. row — a line
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. kid — child
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bound — certain
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bound — obliged

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