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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rock — a stone
  7. plane — a tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. swing — to play on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. shower — rain
  13. field — farmland
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. field — a subject
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. swing — music
  21. rock — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chair — a leader

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