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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rash — a series
  5. field — a subject
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. drill — a practice
  8. land — to come down
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. drill — the tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. drill — army training
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. land — a country
  16. rash — hasty
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — ground
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. field — for sport
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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