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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — a tin
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. last — to go on
  12. ground — the earth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. field — farmland
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. toast — bread
  22. can — to be able to
  23. staff — employees
  24. can — a tin

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