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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ground — a position
  13. field — a subject
  14. craft — boats
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. can — a tin
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. craft — a skill
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. squash — the sport

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