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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. march — music
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. march — the month
  11. fine — all right
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — a subject
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wound — an injury
  18. field — for sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bat — the animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wound — an injury

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