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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. club — a group
  6. track — a song
  7. field — a subject
  8. file — a tool
  9. club — for golf
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pop — music
  13. file — a document
  14. squash — to crush
  15. file — a line of people
  16. track — a path
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. pop — soda
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pop — to visit

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