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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. field — farmland
  6. kid — to tease
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. suit — to fit
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. kid — child
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. field — a subject
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. suit — clothes
  18. field — for sport
  19. game — a match
  20. stock — shares
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. suit — in cards
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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