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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. field — for sport
  2. last — final
  3. deal — to handle
  4. last — finally
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. capital — money
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. can — to be able to
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — to go on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — a city
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. board — a committee
  19. can — a tin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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