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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. field — a subject
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. fine — high quality
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. field — farmland
  10. stand — to bear
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. field — for sport
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. scale — in music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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