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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. row — to paddle
  3. field — for sport
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — a subject
  7. clip — to cut
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pit — in a race
  11. squash — the sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — a video
  19. row — a line
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pit — a hole

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