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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. field — farmland
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. file — a document
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. field — a subject
  18. rash — hasty
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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