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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. field — farmland
  5. bound — certain
  6. swing — in golf
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — of the year
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chest — a box
  13. fine — high quality
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. tube — a container
  17. fine — all right
  18. swing — music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. field — for sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bound — obliged
  24. object — a thing

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