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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: field · bat · pop · spell · saw · board · pit · lie

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pop — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. field — farmland
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. board — to get on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spell — letters
  12. saw — the tool
  13. board — a committee
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — in a race
  16. field — for sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. board — a flat piece

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