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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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 — to add flavour
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. race — a contest
  5. wake — a trail
  6. face — part of the head
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. season — of the year
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mate — a partner
  13. field — for sport
  14. face — to point toward
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — farmland
  20. race — humankind
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mate — a friend
  23. field — a subject
  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