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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. field — for sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. season — of the year
  11. face — part of the head
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. face — to point toward
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. season — in sport
  18. face — to confront
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ruler — for measuring

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