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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bound — tied together
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. club — for golf
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — to paddle
  16. land — a country
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. scale — in music
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. club — a group

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