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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. field — for sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chair — a leader

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