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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. season — of the year
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. chip — to eat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. object — a thing
  11. firm — decided
  12. chip — for betting
  13. object — to protest
  14. prune — to trim
  15. object — an aim
  16. season — in sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wake — a trail
  19. field — farmland
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. field — a subject

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