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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. field — farmland
  5. pop — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pop — to visit
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to click
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. field — for sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. game — a match
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pop — soda
  21. mark — a trace
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ball — a round shape

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