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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stock — shares
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stock — goods
  22. field — farmland
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. face — to confront

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