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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. club — a group
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. club — for golf
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — to breed
  13. drill — army training
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. drill — a practice
  19. field — farmland
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pass — to succeed

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