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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — farmland
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. field — for sport
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ground — a position
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. season — in sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pit — a hole
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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