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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rest — a break
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — to trim
  12. club — for golf
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — a group
  15. field — farmland
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. deal — to handle
  18. club — for dancing
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pass — a permit
  23. field — a subject
  24. rest — what's left

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