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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rush — hurry
  3. field — farmland
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fall — the season
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — a subject
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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