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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cap — a lid
  6. field — farmland
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stand — to bear
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. row — a line
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stand — on your feet

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