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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. field — for sport
  5. last — final
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wake — a trail
  9. last — finally
  10. field — a subject
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. craft — boats
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — to go on
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. field — farmland

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