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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: bowl · date · plane · sharp · ground · club · mark · field

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. plane — a tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — farmland
  9. club — a group
  10. ground — crushed
  11. date — the fruit
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. field — for sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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