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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: capital · rest · pop · field · game · straw · bay · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. field — a subject
  7. pop — music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. game — a match
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rest — what's left
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. capital — money
  19. rest — a break
  20. field — farmland
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. capital — a city

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