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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. field — farmland
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. field — a subject
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitch — completely
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. field — for sport
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. staff — employees
  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