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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — for sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a document
  5. mug — a cup
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. sharp — clever
  11. file — a line of people
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. field — a subject
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — farmland
  16. file — a tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. roll — a cake
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. leaves — to go away

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