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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. field — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fine — all right
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fine — high quality
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a friend
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. club — a group
  17. field — a subject
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. date — the fruit
  23. club — for golf
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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