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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — a subject
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. roll — a list
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. field — for sport
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. game — a match
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. charge — in control
  15. roll — a cake
  16. scale — in music
  17. charge — a price
  18. lie — to recline
  19. charge — electricity
  20. file — a document
  21. game — wild animals
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — on a roll

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