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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — a subject
  6. fine — high quality
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — of the year
  13. fall — to drop
  14. season — in sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. fall — the season
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mate — to breed
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. net — for catching
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mate — a friend
  23. field — for sport
  24. lash — to lash out

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