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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 · club · straw · nail · mate · field · pit · bowl

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mate — to breed
  3. field — a subject
  4. mate — a partner
  5. field — farmland
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. club — a group
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pit — in a race
  14. club — for golf
  15. pit — a hole
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mate — a friend
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. club — for dancing

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