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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. field — for sport
  4. game — wild animals
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. drill — the tool
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. squash — to crush
  9. game — a match
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. drill — a practice
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. content — happy
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. field — farmland
  19. squash — the sport
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — the amount
  24. can — a tin

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