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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — farmland
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ball — a dance
  16. swing — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rest — a break
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spring — the season

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