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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rash — a series
  3. band — a ring
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. last — final
  6. object — to protest
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a music group
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — for sport
  12. last — to go on
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tube — the underground
  15. object — an aim
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. last — finally
  19. field — farmland
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. object — a thing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. can — a tin

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