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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. field — a subject
  3. fine — high quality
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. staff — employees
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. field — for sport
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. field — farmland
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. sharp — clever
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fine — all right

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