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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. cap — of ice
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. cue — a signal
  10. field — for sport
  11. lean — thin
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cue — for pool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cap — a lid
  16. field — farmland
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cue — a hint
  22. land — a country
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — to bend

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