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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — a position
  4. field — for sport
  5. rest — a break
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. field — a subject
  10. stem — to come from
  11. field — farmland
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — crushed
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rest — what's left

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