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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. field — for sport
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ball — a great time
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. sharp — clever
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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