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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. shower — to wash
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. field — for sport
  18. shower — rain
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. field — farmland
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rest — a break

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