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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. land — to come down
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lie — to recline
  13. land — a country
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. land — ground
  19. field — farmland
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. season — in sport

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