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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lean — thin
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. lean — to bend
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. field — for sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — a subject
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — farmland
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. coach — a trainer

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