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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. suit — clothes
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. pop — music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. rest — a break
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. land — ground
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. field — farmland
  23. pop — to visit
  24. dip — a sauce

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