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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. deal — to handle
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. field — farmland
  5. can — to be able to
  6. field — a subject
  7. staff — employees
  8. face — to confront
  9. club — for golf
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — a group
  12. object — a thing
  13. can — a tin
  14. object — an aim
  15. can — a tin
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. face — part of the head
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. field — for sport

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