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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. key — in music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. field — a subject
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cold — not warm
  7. key — the most important part
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. plane — a tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — for a lock
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. field — for sport

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