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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · field · pop · rock · ground · racket · fan · last

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — a subject
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. last — to go on
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — the earth
  9. field — for sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. last — final
  12. pop — music
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pop — soda
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. field — farmland
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. last — finally
  24. pop — to visit

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