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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. clip — a video
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. toast — bread
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — a subject
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. field — for sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bowl — to roll

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