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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — completely
  9. squash — the sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fall — the season
  17. fine — high quality
  18. field — a subject
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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