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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. field — farmland
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — wild animals
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. last — final
  17. game — a match
  18. mark — a trace
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. last — to go on
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. ground — a position

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