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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. file — a line of people
  3. spell — magic
  4. field — for sport
  5. band — a music group
  6. mug — a face
  7. field — a subject
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. mug — to rob
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. season — of the year
  16. field — farmland
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a ring

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