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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. land — to come down
  7. club — for golf
  8. race — humankind
  9. present — a gift
  10. race — a contest
  11. scale — size or range
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. present — the time now
  16. field — for sport
  17. present — there
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. land — ground
  20. last — to go on
  21. scale — in music
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — a country
  24. race — the arms race

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