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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bound — tied together
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — of the year
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bound — certain
  8. field — farmland
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — for sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. shower — rain
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. field — a subject
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. season — in sport
  24. shower — to wash

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