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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. field — a subject
  4. ground — a position
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. can — a tin
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — in sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. season — of the year
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. field — for sport
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — farmland
  24. mate — a friend

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