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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. file — a tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. mate — to breed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. field — a subject
  8. spring — the season
  9. mug — a cup
  10. file — a document
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. field — farmland
  17. mate — a friend
  18. club — a group
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mate — a partner

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