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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. field — for sport
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — after costs
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. field — a subject
  13. pop — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. net — in sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pop — soda
  23. net — for catching
  24. row — a line

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