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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spring · fine · season · bass · face · game · fan

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. season — of the year
  4. bass — the fish
  5. field — a subject
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fine — high quality
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — the season
  16. game — a match
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — in sport
  20. spring — a coil
  21. field — farmland
  22. fine — all right
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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