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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. firm — a company
  3. field — a subject
  4. swing — music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. season — in sport
  11. firm — steady
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. file — a tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. firm — decided
  17. swing — to play on
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. season — of the year
  21. file — a line of people
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a document
  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