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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mate — a partner
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. season — in sport
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. last — finally
  21. mate — a friend
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — of the year
  24. mate — to breed

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