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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chip — for betting
  7. hand — help
  8. band — a ring
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. field — farmland
  12. wake — a trail
  13. band — a music group
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fine — all right
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. field — for sport
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. field — a subject
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ball — a dance

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