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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. game — a match
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. club — a group
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rock — a stone
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cabinet — ministers

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