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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fall — the season
  9. season — of the year
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mate — to breed
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mate — a friend
  16. season — in sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pass — a permit
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. field — a subject
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. dip — to sink
  24. shower — rain

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