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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. field — for sport
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. field — farmland
  6. game — a match
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. field — a subject
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pop — soda
  18. fork — in a road
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. tube — a container

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