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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — a subject
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. field — for sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. game — a match
  21. field — farmland
  22. wake — a trail
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bank — for money

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