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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — wild animals
  7. club — for golf
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. band — a music group
  10. field — farmland
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. club — for dancing
  15. band — a ring
  16. club — a group
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cell — in biology
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cell — a phone

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