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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rock — music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. field — for sport
  17. capital — a city
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lie — to recline
  21. field — farmland
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — money
  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