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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. firm — steady
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. scale — size or range
  7. field — farmland
  8. fall — to drop
  9. firm — decided
  10. fall — the season
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. firm — a company
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hand — help
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. scale — in music
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — in cards

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