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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 120 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: rash · pit · court · foot · field · mark · plane · race

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — for sport
  3. pit — in a race
  4. race — a contest
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mark — a trace
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mark — a grade
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. plane — a tool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. field — a subject
  20. pit — a hole
  21. court — for sport
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. race — humankind
  24. field — farmland

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