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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. branch — a division
  7. track — a path
  8. foot — a measure
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — a series
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rash — hasty
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — farmland
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. field — for sport
  21. game — a match
  22. track — a song
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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