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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a dance
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. hand — in cards
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — a group
  8. field — for sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. club — for golf
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. hand — help
  18. club — for dancing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bear — the animal

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