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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pop — soda
  5. squash — to crush
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — a subject
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. club — a group
  12. last — final
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. field — for sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. last — finally
  19. pop — music
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. squash — the sport
  24. arm — part of the body

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