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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. firm — steady
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. craft — boats
  6. file — a tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. scale — size or range
  9. firm — a company
  10. file — a line of people
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bass — low music
  13. firm — decided
  14. field — farmland
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. field — a subject
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. file — a document
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. scale — in music

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