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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rock — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. field — for sport
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. field — farmland
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — a face
  17. land — to come down
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — ground
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mug — to rob

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