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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cell — in biology
  3. last — finally
  4. club — for dancing
  5. last — final
  6. field — a subject
  7. ground — a position
  8. field — for sport
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ground — the earth
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. club — for golf
  14. mark — a grade
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. club — a group
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — farmland
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cell — a phone
  24. last — to go on

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