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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. last — to go on
  8. fine — high quality
  9. last — finally
  10. field — farmland
  11. bat — the animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. last — final
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. fine — all right
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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