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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. object — an aim
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. object — to protest
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. craft — boats
  11. object — a thing
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. band — a music group
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. band — a ring
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ball — a great time
  22. field — for sport
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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