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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. field — farmland
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. row — to paddle
  5. race — humankind
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. race — a contest
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. fine — all right
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. season — of the year
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. race — the arms race
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. field — a subject

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