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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — in sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. row — a line
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. field — a subject
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. deal — to handle
  18. band — a music group
  19. row — to paddle
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mark — a trace
  22. season — of the year
  23. band — a ring
  24. mark — a grade

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