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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — a subject
  3. last — finally
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spell — magic
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. field — for sport
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spell — a short time
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — letters
  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