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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. field — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. field — a subject
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — a match
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cap — of ice
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. field — farmland
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cell — a phone
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lean — thin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pass — to succeed

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