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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. last — final
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rush — hurry
  18. scale — in music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — for sport
  21. scale — size or range
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. deal — to handle

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