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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. season — of the year
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. field — for sport
  10. capital — a city
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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