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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. field — farmland
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — for sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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