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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bass — low music
  3. field — a subject
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. field — farmland
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. field — for sport
  17. stand — to bear
  18. fine — all right
  19. mark — a grade
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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