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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. field — for sport
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bore — to drill
  10. ground — crushed
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. ground — the earth
  16. field — a subject
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wake — a trail
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. field — farmland
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ground — a position

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