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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. club — for golf
  6. pass — a permit
  7. club — for dancing
  8. field — farmland
  9. club — a group
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. field — for sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. chip — for betting

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