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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ground — the earth
  3. season — of the year
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. field — for sport
  6. last — to go on
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. firm — decided
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — a position
  12. last — finally
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. firm — steady
  18. last — final
  19. ground — crushed
  20. sharp — clever
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. firm — a company
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. jam — a tight spot

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