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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cap — a hat
  3. suit — to fit
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. field — for sport
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. field — farmland
  12. cap — a lid
  13. suit — clothes
  14. board — to get on
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. suit — in cards
  18. board — a committee
  19. cap — of ice
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. last — final
  23. field — a subject
  24. season — of the year

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