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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bear — the animal
  9. field — for sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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