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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. land — ground
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. land — to come down
  5. snap — to click
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. land — a country
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — for sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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