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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. object — to protest
  3. field — for sport
  4. content — happy
  5. prune — to trim
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pop — soda
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. charge — a price
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — to wash
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — electricity
  18. prune — to trim
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. charge — in control
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. shower — rain
  23. pop — music
  24. field — a subject

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