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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. branch — a division
  5. field — farmland
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. field — a subject
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. court — for sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. court — of law
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. roll — a cake
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — of a king
  23. fine — all right
  24. racket — for tennis

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