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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · staff · field · rash · mine · trunk · stick · ball

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ball — a great time
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — a hole
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. field — a subject
  21. pit — in a race
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ball — a round shape

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