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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 120 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: deal · season · shower · field · chair · wake · rock · sharp

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. season — of the year
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. field — farmland
  11. chair — a leader
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — for sport
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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