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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — a subject
  5. club — a group
  6. pop — soda
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bear — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. can — a tin
  18. fine — all right
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pop — music
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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