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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. scale — in music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — farmland
  5. rock — music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — for digging
  13. scale — size or range
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rest — a break
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. field — for sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rock — a stone

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