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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. game — wild animals
  9. field — for sport
  10. shower — rain
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fork — a garden tool

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