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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: pit · bay · rest · nail · field · jam · plane · press

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — a subject
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rest — a break
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rest — what's left
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. press — to push
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. plane — a tool
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pit — a hole
  23. press — newspapers
  24. plane — in geometry

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