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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — for sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stand — to bear
  9. field — a subject
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — goods
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. field — farmland
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stock — shares
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rash — a series
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — of a tree

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