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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. field — for sport
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chair — a leader
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. lean — thin
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. field — a subject
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kick — in football
  21. land — a country
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. field — farmland

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