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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 · cap · pound · sharp · squash · object · field · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. object — to protest
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. object — an aim
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a lid
  8. track — a path
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cap — a hat
  11. season — of the year
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — in sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. object — a thing
  19. track — a song
  20. cap — of ice
  21. squash — the sport
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. field — for sport
  24. squash — to crush

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