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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bass — the fish
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fine — all right
  9. pop — music
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. field — a subject
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rash — a series
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bass — the instrument

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