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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. game — a match
  6. stand — to bear
  7. field — a subject
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fine — all right
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — for digging
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. fine — a penalty

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