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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. season — of the year
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — to confront
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. charge — in control
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — a subject
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. face — to point toward
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. face — part of the head
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. roll — a list
  23. season — in sport
  24. roll — a cake

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