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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. field — a subject
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. date — the fruit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. net — in sport
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — of the year
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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