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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 120 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 very handy with a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. field — farmland
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — final
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. staff — employees
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. field — a subject

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