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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. scale — size or range
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. scale — in music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. march — the month
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — a measure
  12. field — farmland
  13. staff — employees
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — for sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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