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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. field — farmland
  4. firm — steady
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. field — for sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. firm — decided
  10. season — of the year
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. net — for catching
  13. firm — a company
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cell — in biology
  19. net — in sport
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. field — a subject

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