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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fine — all right
  4. season — of the year
  5. field — a subject
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — for sport
  9. present — there
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. staff — employees
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. present — the time now
  18. field — farmland
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stand — to bear
  23. season — in sport
  24. staff — employees

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