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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. field — for sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ball — a great time
  12. field — a subject
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. ball — a dance
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. staff — employees
  23. capital — a city
  24. ball — a round shape

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