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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mate — a partner
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. craft — boats
  11. mate — a friend
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — of the year
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — a subject
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. season — in sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. craft — a handicraft

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