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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bass — the fish
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stock — goods
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — for 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