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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. season — of the year
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — in sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. rush — hurry
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. field — for sport
  15. game — a match
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — a subject

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