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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. field — a subject
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spell — a short time
  7. field — farmland
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — for golf
  12. saw — the tool
  13. club — a group
  14. spell — magic
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — to get on
  17. spell — letters
  18. season — in sport
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — for sport
  23. board — a committee
  24. fall — to drop

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