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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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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rule — a law
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — finally
  9. field — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. last — final
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — to breed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — a break
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. field — a subject
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rule — government
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — to go on
  24. stand — to bear

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