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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — low music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bass — the fish
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. squash — to crush
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. lie — an untruth

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