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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pit — in a race
  8. field — farmland
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mine — for digging
  13. field — for sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. field — a subject
  18. rule — a law
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fine — all right
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rule — government

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