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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — to rob
  5. field — for sport
  6. present — the time now
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. present — a gift
  10. content — the amount
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mug — a face
  14. ball — a dance
  15. field — farmland
  16. present — there
  17. mug — a cup
  18. content — happy

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