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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. court — of law
  3. face — to confront
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. field — farmland
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — for sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. root — of a word
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. root — the cause
  17. swing — music
  18. court — for sport
  19. swing — to play on
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. court — of a king
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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