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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. rock — music
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — a practice
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. band — a ring
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. ground — a position
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. drill — army training
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — farmland
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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