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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. swing — music
  6. court — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. firm — steady
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wake — a trail
  12. firm — decided
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mark — a trace
  19. field — farmland
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. swing — in golf
  22. court — of law
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pound — for dogs

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