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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. field — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. field — a subject
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pop — soda
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bat — the animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. saw — the tool

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