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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · cap · lie · field · mate · firm

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — a friend
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — a subject
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cap — of ice
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — a hat
  18. field — farmland

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