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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chip — to eat
  4. season — in sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. season — of the year
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — a subject
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. field — for sport
  20. chip — for betting
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rush — hurry
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — farmland

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