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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. field — for sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. kick — in football
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. snap — to click
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fine — all right
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bass — low music
  15. stand — to bear
  16. shower — rain
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fine — high quality
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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