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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. field — for sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. craft — a skill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. field — farmland
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. field — a subject
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pop — music
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. craft — boats
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pop — soda
  24. jam — a tight spot

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