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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
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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: scale · game · suit · firm · sharp · field · pit · squash

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. scale — size or range
  3. suit — to fit
  4. scale — in music
  5. suit — in cards
  6. field — for sport
  7. firm — a company
  8. suit — clothes
  9. field — a subject
  10. firm — steady
  11. game — wild animals
  12. sharp — clever
  13. firm — decided
  14. field — farmland
  15. squash — the sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pit — in a race
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pit — a hole

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