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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 120 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 help me carry this box?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. field — for sport
  3. pop — music
  4. rash — hasty
  5. can — a tin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. court — of a king
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. club — for dancing
  12. court — for sport
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. field — farmland
  15. club — for golf
  16. can — a tin
  17. pop — soda
  18. field — a subject
  19. club — a group
  20. rash — a series
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. cell — a phone
  24. court — of law

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