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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. field — a subject
  7. suit — to fit
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. land — to come down
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. season — of the year
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. land — a country
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rest — a break
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. last — to go on
  20. land — ground
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  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