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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. field — a subject
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. march — music
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mate — a partner
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. field — for sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. field — farmland
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mate — to breed

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