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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. game — a match
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pop — music
  11. date — the fruit
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pop — to visit
  14. field — a subject
  15. pop — soda
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ground — a position
  19. game — wild animals
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. arm — part of the body

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