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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. row — a line
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. suit — to fit
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. track — a song
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. track — to keep track
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — for sport
  24. track — a path

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