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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. land — ground
  3. field — farmland
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. field — for sport
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pit — in a race
  11. firm — decided
  12. track — a path
  13. land — a country
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — to come down
  16. content — the amount
  17. board — a committee
  18. content — happy
  19. track — to keep track
  20. board — to get on
  21. firm — steady
  22. track — a song
  23. firm — a company
  24. pit — a fruit 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