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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pop — to visit
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pop — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pop — soda
  14. track — a song
  15. mate — a partner
  16. field — farmland
  17. bear — the animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bear — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — a path
  24. mate — to breed

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