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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cap — a lid
  6. plane — a tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. staff — employees
  10. rash — a series
  11. court — of law
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — farmland
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rash — hasty
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. present — the time now
  21. court — of a king
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — for sport

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