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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hand — help
  6. field — a subject
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pop — soda
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — for sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pop — music
  18. bass — low music
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stand — on your feet

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