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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bat — the animal
  6. foot — a measure
  7. field — for sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bound — tied together
  16. field — farmland
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. snap — to click
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bound — certain
  24. cabinet — ministers

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