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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — letters
  7. field — a subject
  8. mine — for digging
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — a gift
  11. rock — music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. dip — to sink
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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