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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bulb — for light
  5. board — a committee
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. swing — to play on
  14. tear — to rip
  15. board — to get on
  16. rule — a law
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rule — government
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bulb — for light

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