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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — a trace
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — to grow
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — a match
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. shower — rain
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. field — a subject
  21. fork — in a road
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. field — farmland

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