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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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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: ball · sharp · jam · toast · bound · mate · roll · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a great time
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. roll — a cake
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mate — a partner
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mate — a friend
  16. toast — bread
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bound — certain
  19. roll — a list
  20. bound — tied together
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bound — obliged
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. roll — on a roll

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