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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. pop — to visit
  3. track — a path
  4. pop — music
  5. board — to get on
  6. track — a song
  7. stem — to come from
  8. firm — steady
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — to come down
  12. squash — to crush
  13. firm — a company
  14. land — ground
  15. pop — soda
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — to keep track
  19. squash — the sport
  20. board — a committee
  21. firm — decided
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. land — a country
  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