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

Word bank: deal · cell · racket · stand · field · leaves · snap · mark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mark — a grade
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cell — in biology
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — farmland
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. field — for sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. deal — to handle
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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