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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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. last — to go on
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. season — of the year
  8. last — finally
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. last — final
  12. bulb — for light
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cap — a lid
  15. field — for sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. staff — employees
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. field — a subject
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — farmland

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