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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — crushed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. land — a country
  7. ground — a position
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — to come down
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — ground
  19. field — a subject
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. field — farmland
  24. racket — for tennis

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