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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: field · deal · ground · jam · nail · rash · mark · game

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rash — a series
  5. ground — a position
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mark — a trace
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. field — farmland
  14. ground — crushed
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. game — a match
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ground — the earth
  19. deal — to handle
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. field — a subject
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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