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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — to rob
  5. ball — a dance
  6. clip — to cut
  7. field — farmland
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fine — high quality
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. field — a subject
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pop — music
  15. mug — a face
  16. clip — a video
  17. pop — soda
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. clip — for paper
  21. field — for sport
  22. fine — all right
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ball — a great time

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