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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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. mark — a grade
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. game — a match
  6. mark — a trace
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pound — a weight
  22. field — farmland
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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