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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — of ice
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cap — a lid
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — to rip
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — to come down
  18. present — there
  19. field — farmland
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. deal — to handle
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rush — a thrill

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