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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: pit · mate · bound · scale · leaves · race · field · bass

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. race — humankind
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bass — low music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. scale — in music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mate — a partner
  11. field — a subject
  12. bound — certain
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mate — to breed
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mate — a friend
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pit — in a race
  24. race — a contest

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