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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — a subject
  4. season — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. object — an aim
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — a trace
  14. field — farmland
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. net — after costs
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. object — to protest
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. object — a thing
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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