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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. field — farmland
  19. chip — to eat
  20. staff — a stick
  21. field — a subject
  22. face — to confront
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wax — in the ear

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