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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · club · rest · pit · pass · bay · mine · field

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rest — a break
  3. field — farmland
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rock — a stone
  11. club — a group
  12. pit — in a race
  13. field — for sport
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. club — for golf
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pit — a hole
  20. field — a subject
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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