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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. firm — a company
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. field — a subject
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rest — a break
  8. season — in sport
  9. firm — decided
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. field — for sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. firm — steady
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — farmland

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