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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mate — a friend
  5. swing — to play on
  6. row — to paddle
  7. field — farmland
  8. mate — a partner
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cell — in biology
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. field — a subject
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mate — to breed
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cell — a phone
  22. dip — to sink
  23. row — a line
  24. craft — boats

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