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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. suit — to fit
  3. shower — rain
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — high quality
  9. squash — the sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. content — happy
  12. fine — all right
  13. suit — clothes
  14. prune — to trim
  15. shower — to wash
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. suit — in cards
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — farmland
  23. content — the amount
  24. prune — the fruit

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