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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cell — in biology
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — of the year
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kid — child
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pass — a permit
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. field — for sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. row — a line
  17. season — in sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. row — to paddle
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pass — to succeed

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