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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tube — a container
  4. face — to confront
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cap — a hat
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. craft — boats
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. track — a path
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. track — to keep track
  19. face — to point toward
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. track — a song
  22. face — part of the head
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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