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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. field — for sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. land — to come down
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. craft — a skill
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — farmland
  15. object — to protest
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. craft — boats
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — a subject
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — a country
  24. mouse — the animal

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