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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. can — a tin
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. track — to keep track
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. field — farmland
  16. current — happening now
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. current — electric
  20. can — a tin
  21. current — of water
  22. season — in sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. kick — in football

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