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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: snap · ball · fine · drill · field · bowl · spell · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — all right
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spell — a short time
  5. snap — to click
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. field — farmland
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — for sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. spell — magic
  12. drill — army training
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — in sport
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ball — a dance
  24. field — a subject

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