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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. field — farmland
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rock — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. field — for sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. season — of the year
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. season — in sport
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rock — a stone
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. field — a subject
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. file — a document

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