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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 retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. game — wild animals
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. game — a match
  11. season — of the year
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. key — the most important part
  19. field — a subject
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — in music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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