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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. land — to come down
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. game — wild animals
  6. field — farmland
  7. mug — a cup
  8. land — a country
  9. mug — to rob
  10. land — ground
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — a subject
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a ring
  16. mug — a face
  17. mark — a trace
  18. swing — in golf
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. swing — music
  21. game — a match
  22. field — for sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mark — to pay attention

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