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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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Word bank
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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stand — to bear
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. key — in music
  9. season — in sport
  10. date — the fruit
  11. can — a tin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. key — for a lock
  14. game — a match
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fork — in a road
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ground — a position

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