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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spring — the season
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pit — in a race
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. key — for a lock
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stand — to bear
  20. key — in music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spring — of water
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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