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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. present — the time now
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. present — a gift
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — there
  10. face — part of the head
  11. kid — to tease
  12. court — of a king
  13. squash — the sport
  14. kid — child
  15. bank — of a river
  16. court — of law
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bank — for money
  21. squash — to crush
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. saw — the tool

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