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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 124 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. court — of a king
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fine — all right
  5. fall — the season
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rash — a series
  9. rock — music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. court — for sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — farmland
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. court — of law
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fall — to drop

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