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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — for sport
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. court — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — of law
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mark — a grade
  20. court — of a king
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. kid — child
  24. rash — hasty

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