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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. field — farmland
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a line
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rest — a break
  13. field — for sport
  14. fine — all right
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rock — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. row — to paddle
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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