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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. field — farmland
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — of the year
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chip — for betting
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. field — a subject
  14. chip — to eat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. staff — employees

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