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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. field — farmland
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. field — for sport
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. field — a subject
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away

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