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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hand — in cards
  4. field — for sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. field — farmland
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — a subject
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fine — all right

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