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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — a subject
  5. ground — a position
  6. field — for sport
  7. bound — certain
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bound — tied together
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — to sink
  13. charge — electricity
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — obliged
  17. chest — a box
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. charge — in control
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. charge — a price
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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