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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: row · racket · lie · rest · bowl · field · season · file

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. season — of the year
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — for sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rest — what's left
  10. field — farmland
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. row — a line
  15. file — a tool
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. lie — to recline
  19. file — a document
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. field — a subject
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. season — in sport

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