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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — farmland
  4. lie — to recline
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a dance
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stand — to bear
  14. field — for sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — of the year
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. field — a subject
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rest — a break
  23. ball — a great time
  24. season — to add flavour

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