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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pop — soda
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. row — a line
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pop — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — a subject
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pop — to visit

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