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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. court — for sport
  5. track — a path
  6. court — of law
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. track — a song
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — for sport
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — to keep track
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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