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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. row — a line
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. land — to come down
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — ground
  15. wind — moving air
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. land — a country
  19. staff — a stick
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. staff — employees
  23. fine — all right
  24. field — for sport

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