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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — a subject
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rock — music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. snap — to click
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rest — a break
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. shower — rain
  21. tube — a container
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. ball — a dance

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