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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hand — help
  3. pop — music
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. roll — a list
  6. field — a subject
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pop — soda
  9. mark — a trace
  10. roll — a cake
  11. hand — in cards
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. field — farmland
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rash — a series

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