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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. snap — to click
  12. hand — in cards
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. field — for sport
  20. club — for golf
  21. plane — a tool
  22. hand — help
  23. field — farmland
  24. saw — the tool

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