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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — of the year
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pop — music
  9. face — part of the head
  10. season — in sport
  11. field — for sport
  12. pop — soda
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — in control
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. field — a subject
  17. charge — electricity
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. face — to confront
  20. shower — to wash
  21. charge — a price
  22. pop — to visit
  23. foot — a measure
  24. patient — a sick person

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