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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. field — for sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. season — of the year
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — finally
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stand — to bear
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. last — final

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