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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 · file · field · roll · racket · board · mouse · object

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. season — of the year
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. roll — a list
  8. field — a subject
  9. roll — a cake
  10. object — to protest
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. file — a tool
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. field — for sport
  18. board — a committee
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. board — to get on

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