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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. field — farmland
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pop — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. mark — a grade
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — for sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. pop — soda
  24. court — of law

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