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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. field — farmland
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — a country
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. kid — child
  15. field — for sport
  16. mark — a grade
  17. land — ground
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rock — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. field — a subject

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