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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spring — a coil
  3. board — to get on
  4. season — in sport
  5. fork — in a road
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spring — the season
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. key — for a lock
  11. season — of the year
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spring — of water
  15. court — of a king
  16. field — farmland
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. court — for sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. key — the most important part
  21. court — of law
  22. key — in music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fork — to eat with

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