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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. field — for sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. present — there
  10. squash — the sport
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. can — a tin
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — a subject
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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