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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mate — a partner
  5. field — farmland
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. field — a subject
  8. rock — a stone
  9. degree — from a university
  10. race — humankind
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rock — music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mate — a friend
  18. degree — temperature
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. season — of the year
  21. field — for sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mate — to breed

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