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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chair — a leader
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. field — for sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pop — to visit
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. tube — a container
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. field — farmland
  23. toast — bread
  24. pop — music

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