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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. season — in sport
  7. race — a contest
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — a practice
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — to trim
  14. foot — a measure
  15. race — the arms race
  16. season — of the year
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. drill — army training
  19. stand — to bear
  20. race — humankind
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. field — for sport
  24. drill — the tool

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