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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: cabinet · lash · field · season · land · chip · mug · toast

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. season — of the year
  4. toast — bread
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. field — a subject
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mug — a face
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. land — a country
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — for betting
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. chip — to eat
  15. field — farmland
  16. land — to come down
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — in sport
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. land — ground
  23. mug — to rob
  24. field — for sport

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