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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. season — of the year
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. field — a subject
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ground — a position
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. field — farmland
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mate — a partner
  23. ground — crushed
  24. season — in sport

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