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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. field — farmland
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. club — for golf
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. club — for dancing
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ball — a great time
  17. field — a subject
  18. content — the amount
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. deal — to handle
  22. content — happy
  23. club — a group
  24. tear — to rip

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