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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lean — thin
  5. season — of the year
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. field — for sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. field — farmland
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cap — a hat
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cap — of ice
  24. season — in sport

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