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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. snap — to click
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rule — government
  7. season — in sport
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. field — farmland
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — of the year
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. field — for sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stand — to bear
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rule — a law

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