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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. field — a subject
  7. date — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pop — soda
  17. season — of the year
  18. field — farmland
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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