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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. present — there
  3. dip — to sink
  4. present — a gift
  5. degree — an amount
  6. field — farmland
  7. track — a path
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. field — a subject
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. present — the time now
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. track — to keep track
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. track — a song
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. season — of the year
  24. field — for sport

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