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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a great time
  3. field — for sport
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pass — a permit
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. field — a subject
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. net — after costs
  11. craft — boats
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. craft — a skill
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. content — the amount
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. content — happy

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