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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. field — farmland
  8. lie — to recline
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. field — a subject
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. field — for sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. leaves — of a tree

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