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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — a trail
  7. can — a tin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. season — of the year
  11. field — farmland
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. can — to be able to
  15. squash — the sport
  16. season — in sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — a subject
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ground — the earth
  23. perch — the fish
  24. season — to add flavour

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