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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — a subject
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. game — a match
  14. board — a committee
  15. snap — to click
  16. board — to get on
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — a tin
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. season — of the year
  23. game — a kind of play
  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