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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pop — music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. field — farmland
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — a subject
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rock — music
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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