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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: spell · field · race · season · chair · game · jam · shower

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spell — magic
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. race — the arms race
  7. shower — rain
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. race — humankind
  11. game — wild animals
  12. race — a contest
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. field — farmland
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chair — a leader
  18. field — for sport
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. shower — to wash
  21. field — a subject
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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