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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. game — a match
  3. pitch — completely
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — in a race
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tube — the underground
  11. field — a subject
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. field — farmland
  16. game — wild animals
  17. current — electric
  18. spring — the season
  19. pit — a hole
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tube — a container

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