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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. field — farmland
  3. bass — the fish
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bass — low music
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rock — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rock — a stone

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