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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. present — the time now
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fall — the season
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — all right
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fine — high quality
  15. face — to confront
  16. present — a gift
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to point toward
  19. field — for sport
  20. hand — help
  21. present — there
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — to cool the air

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