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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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. face — to confront
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. hand — help
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hand — in cards
  8. march — the month
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. march — the month
  14. field — farmland
  15. row — a line
  16. spell — magic
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. spell — letters
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ruler — a monarch

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