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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. scale — size or range
  5. race — the arms race
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. foot — a measure
  8. present — the time now
  9. field — a subject
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. field — for sport
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. present — there
  17. field — farmland
  18. rest — a break
  19. present — a gift
  20. scale — in music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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