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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rule — a law
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mug — a face
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mug — a cup
  13. field — farmland
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. rule — government
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. field — a subject
  24. date — on the calendar

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