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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. fine — all right
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bass — low music
  9. field — a subject
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rash — a series
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — music
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fine — high quality
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — hasty
  19. capital — a city
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — farmland
  24. capital — money

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