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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. field — for sport
  5. rock — music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — help
  9. fine — all right
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. field — a subject
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fine — high quality
  21. plane — a tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. perch — the fish
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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