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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. stand — to bear
  7. field — for sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. band — a ring
  10. field — a subject
  11. object — an aim
  12. field — farmland
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bass — low music
  22. object — to protest
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. object — a thing

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