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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. game — a match
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lie — to recline
  6. field — farmland
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. scale — size or range
  10. field — a subject
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ball — a dance
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. lie — an untruth

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