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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: kick · can · bowl · field · season · face · cold · pitcher

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. field — farmland
  8. can — a tin
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. kick — in football
  11. can — to be able to
  12. field — a subject
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. face — to confront
  17. field — for sport
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — an illness
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kick — with a leg

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