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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. face — to confront
  6. game — wild animals
  7. present — there
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. present — a gift
  10. face — part of the head
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. firm — steady
  14. face — to point toward
  15. present — the time now
  16. stem — to come from
  17. firm — decided
  18. tube — a container
  19. firm — a company
  20. mate — a partner
  21. game — a match
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mate — a friend
  24. game — a kind of play

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