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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. field — for sport
  3. suit — to fit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. file — a document
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. season — in sport
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. suit — in cards
  15. mine — for digging
  16. file — a tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. season — of the year
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. field — a subject
  21. deal — to handle
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. deal — an agreement

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