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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. field — for sport
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. swing — in golf
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ball — a dance
  9. field — farmland
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. swing — to play on
  19. field — a subject
  20. stem — to come from
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fork — in a road
  24. swing — music

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