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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. row — a line
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pound — a weight
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — for sport
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. capital — a city
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. capital — money
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. vault — a safe
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. field — a subject

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