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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: game · last · pass · pit · date · club · field · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — to go on
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. club — a group
  9. field — for sport
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pass — a permit
  12. club — for golf
  13. last — finally
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pit — in a race
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pit — a hole
  23. last — final
  24. bound — certain

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