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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.

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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. season — in sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. field — farmland
  17. charge — in control
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. game — a match
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. game — wild animals

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