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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — happy
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. firm — a company
  10. squash — to crush
  11. track — a song
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — a skill
  14. track — to keep track
  15. content — the amount
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. firm — steady
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — farmland
  20. firm — decided
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — a series
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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