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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. last — finally
  3. can — a tin
  4. bound — certain
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. can — a tin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. swing — music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. field — for sport
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rash — a series
  15. swing — to play on
  16. field — a subject
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. can — to be able to
  21. last — final
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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