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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. field — farmland
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. current — of water
  8. staff — employees
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — of the year
  12. staff — a stick
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. field — for sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. ground — a position
  24. current — electric

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