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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. staff — employees
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. field — a subject
  9. last — final
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — for sport
  12. last — to go on
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. firm — decided
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. staff — a stick
  18. snap — to click
  19. rest — a break
  20. firm — a company
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. last — finally

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