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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. firm — steady
  3. wound — an injury
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. field — for sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rash — hasty
  10. roll — a list
  11. can — a tin
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. can — a tin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — a subject
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. firm — decided
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rash — a series
  23. pass — a permit
  24. firm — a company

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