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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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. capital — money
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. kick — in football
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spell — magic
  10. field — for sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — letters
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — a city
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. object — a thing

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