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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. field — a subject
  10. land — ground
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — farmland
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. land — to come down
  19. ball — a great time
  20. field — for sport
  21. club — a group
  22. land — a country
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ball — a dance

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