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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. field — a subject
  5. game — a match
  6. firm — decided
  7. field — for sport
  8. firm — a company
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. firm — steady
  13. bass — low music
  14. mug — a face
  15. rock — a stone
  16. board — to get on
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bass — the fish
  20. spring — the season
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mug — a cup
  23. board — a committee
  24. mug — to rob

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