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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cap — a hat
  4. race — a contest
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. content — happy
  10. field — for sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. board — a committee
  13. object — an aim
  14. cap — a lid
  15. object — to protest
  16. board — to get on
  17. race — humankind
  18. content — the amount
  19. scale — in music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. object — a thing
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — farmland

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