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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: ball · saw · field · date · rest · pit · capital · squash

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. capital — money
  3. field — a subject
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pit — in a race
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. field — farmland
  14. ball — a great time
  15. capital — a city
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — the sport
  20. field — for sport
  21. ball — a dance
  22. date — the fruit
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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