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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rush — hurry
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — certain
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. field — for sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. snap — to click
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitcher — a jug

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