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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. file — a tool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rock — music
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rock — a stone
  12. field — for sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitch — completely
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rush — hurry
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. file — a document

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