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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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. race — humankind
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stock — shares
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lean — thin
  20. field — farmland
  21. scale — in music
  22. ground — a position
  23. scale — size or range
  24. safe — out of danger

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