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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. field — a subject
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. object — a thing
  14. cell — a phone
  15. object — to protest
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. object — an aim
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. branch — a division
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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