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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hand — help
  3. field — farmland
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — in cards
  17. club — for dancing
  18. squash — to crush
  19. toast — bread
  20. field — a subject
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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