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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cap — a lid
  3. scale — size or range
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. field — farmland
  9. court — of a king
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a music group
  12. present — there
  13. scale — in music
  14. present — the time now
  15. field — for sport
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. present — a gift
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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