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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: squash · stand · pit · field · ground · stick · rock · date

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. field — a subject
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pit — a hole
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stand — to bear
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ground — a position
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. field — farmland
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — crushed
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. field — for sport

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