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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: season · stock · last · nail · squash · field · leaves · kick

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stock — shares
  4. squash — the sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stock — goods
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. field — farmland
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. season — of the year
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. last — to go on
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — finally
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. last — final

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