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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. field — farmland
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. row — a line
  7. track — a path
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cue — a signal
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. track — a song
  18. field — for sport
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cue — for pool

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