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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. firm — decided
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — of law
  5. wound — an injury
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. firm — a company
  15. present — the time now
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — a skill
  21. field — farmland
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. firm — steady

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