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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. board — a committee
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. board — to get on
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pitch — completely

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