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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. season — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — for sport
  5. pop — soda
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. field — a subject
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — to confront
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hand — help
  14. season — of the year
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pop — music
  19. field — farmland
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rush — to hurry

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