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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. march — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. object — an aim
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. object — to protest
  18. press — newspapers
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. content — happy
  23. object — a thing
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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