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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
468
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: pit · capital · field · swing · bound · fall · fan · leaves

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. swing — in golf
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — farmland
  6. capital — a city
  7. bound — obliged
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. field — for sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pit — a hole
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. swing — music
  20. pit — in a race
  21. capital — money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fall — the season

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