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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · field · content · craft · wind · pass

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. field — for sport
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. craft — boats
  6. wind — moving air
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. content — the amount
  9. pass — a permit
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. field — farmland
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chair — a leader
  17. field — a subject
  18. content — happy

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