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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — farmland
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fine — all right
  11. ball — a great time
  12. field — for sport
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fine — high quality
  16. field — a subject
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — a series

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