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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. field — for sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kid — to tease
  8. firm — a company
  9. spell — letters
  10. field — farmland
  11. season — of the year
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. snap — to click
  16. firm — steady
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kid — child
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spell — magic
  22. cap — a lid
  23. firm — decided
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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