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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 124 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a dance
  5. field — farmland
  6. firm — steady
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. club — for golf
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. club — a group
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. field — for sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. roll — a list
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wake — a trail
  24. club — for dancing

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