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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. game — a match
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. mark — a grade
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chest — of your body
  9. suit — to fit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. game — wild animals
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chest — a box
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. season — of the year
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fine — high quality
  19. suit — in cards
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fine — all right
  23. field — a subject
  24. mark — a trace

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