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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. deal — to handle
  4. ball — a dance
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ball — a great time
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. field — for sport
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. season — of the year
  14. cue — a hint
  15. row — a line
  16. cue — for pool
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. row — to paddle
  23. season — in sport
  24. ball — a round shape

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