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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bound — certain
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spring — of water
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. club — a group
  17. spring — a coil
  18. field — a subject
  19. spring — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — the season
  24. field — farmland

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