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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. last — finally
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. drill — a practice
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pop — soda
  12. drill — the tool
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. drill — army training
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pop — to visit
  19. staff — employees
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. last — to go on
  24. staff — a stick

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