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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. field — farmland
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. field — for sport
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ground — a position
  11. field — a subject
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fall — the season
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fall — to drop

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