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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 124 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mug — a face
  3. face — to confront
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — part of the head
  10. land — to come down
  11. field — for sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. face — to point toward
  14. land — ground
  15. dip — to sink
  16. field — farmland
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. stock — shares
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — a country
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. mug — to rob

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