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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. firm — decided
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. field — a subject
  5. clip — a video
  6. mug — a face
  7. season — in sport
  8. bass — the fish
  9. firm — steady
  10. cell — a phone
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. firm — a company
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bass — low music
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mug — to rob
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. clip — to cut
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. season — of the year

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