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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. field — farmland
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. field — for sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bore — to tire
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — to drill
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. field — a subject
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. leaves — lets stay

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