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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 124 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: field · board · bat · toast · season · saw · root · fine

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. board — to get on
  8. season — in sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. root — of a word
  12. fine — all right
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bat — the animal
  15. toast — bread
  16. board — a committee
  17. field — a subject
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. season — of the year
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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