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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. club — a group
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. field — for sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. field — farmland
  7. net — for catching
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. club — for golf
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mark — a trace
  16. shower — to wash
  17. field — a subject
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. net — in sport
  22. season — in sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. shower — rain

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