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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mate — a friend
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. file — a line of people
  7. object — to protest
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spell — magic
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spell — a short time
  12. file — a tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. scale — in music
  15. field — farmland
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mate — a partner
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. file — a document
  24. spell — letters

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