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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tube — a container
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bound — obliged
  16. shower — rain
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — a group
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to click
  24. club — for golf

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