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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. field — farmland
  4. stand — to bear
  5. field — a subject
  6. can — to be able to
  7. saw — the tool
  8. file — a document
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ground — a position
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. file — a tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — crushed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pop — soda
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ground — the earth
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — to visit
  24. lash — an eyelash

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