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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. scale — in music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rest — a break
  9. game — a match
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — for sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — farmland
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rock — a stone
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. scale — size or range

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