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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. field — a subject
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. field — farmland
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — for sport
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a ring
  18. rock — music
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. squash — to crush
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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