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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. key — for a lock
  3. stand — to bear
  4. field — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cap — a hat
  10. field — a subject
  11. cap — of ice
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. key — in music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cap — a lid
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fall — the season
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bound — certain

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