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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — crushed
  3. last — finally
  4. field — a subject
  5. toast — bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. field — farmland
  8. last — to go on
  9. ground — a position
  10. firm — a company
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. firm — steady
  15. scale — in music
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. last — final
  19. firm — decided
  20. content — happy
  21. ground — the earth
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. content — the amount
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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