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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. season — of the year
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. last — to go on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. field — a subject
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. last — finally
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rush — hurry
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. field — for sport
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. last — final
  24. dip — to sink

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