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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a friend
  5. field — a subject
  6. last — to go on
  7. field — for sport
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. last — final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. field — farmland
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tube — a container
  23. last — finally
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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