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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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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: file · field · racket · pass · chest · ball · pit · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a great time
  5. chest — a box
  6. craft — a skill
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pit — in a race
  15. field — farmland
  16. pass — a permit
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. file — a tool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — a subject
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pass — to succeed

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