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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — a position
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spring — the season
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — farmland

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