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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stem — to come from
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. track — a song
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. track — a path
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. game — wild animals
  13. land — a country
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pit — in a race
  16. game — a match
  17. vault — a safe
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. land — ground
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pit — a hole
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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