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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rash — hasty
  6. dip — to sink
  7. field — a subject
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. club — for golf
  11. rash — a series
  12. club — for dancing
  13. can — a tin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. club — a group
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — a tin
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. field — farmland
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. perch — the fish
  24. can — to be able to

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