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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. plane — a tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. field — farmland
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitch — completely
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rash — a series
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tear — to rip
  21. field — for sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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