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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. club — for dancing
  4. roll — a list
  5. field — a subject
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chip — to eat
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. club — a group
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — for betting
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — the sport
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. club — for golf

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