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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. field — a subject
  3. club — a group
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. field — farmland
  7. roll — a cake
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rash — a series
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. field — for sport
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. shower — rain
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. club — for golf

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