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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. field — a subject
  5. saw — the tool
  6. staff — a stick
  7. field — farmland
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. staff — employees
  12. saw — the tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fine — all right
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. plane — a tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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