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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cap — of ice
  14. season — in sport
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cap — a lid
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. snap — to click
  20. mug — to rob
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mug — a face
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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