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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mark — a trace
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. land — ground
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. land — a country
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rash — a series
  15. mate — to breed
  16. field — for sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. land — to come down
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mate — a partner
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mark — to pay attention

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