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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — in sport
  3. tube — a container
  4. board — to get on
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — for sport
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. present — the time now
  11. season — of the year
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. present — there
  18. tube — the underground
  19. present — a gift
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — a subject
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — a committee
  24. bass — the fish

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