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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — farmland
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stand — to bear
  14. court — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fall — the season
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. court — of a king
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. court — of law

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