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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.

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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — in biology
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — a permit
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. field — a subject
  9. cell — a phone
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fine — all right
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fine — high quality

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