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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. field — a subject
  4. face — to point toward
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. object — an aim
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ball — a dance
  12. net — in sport
  13. object — to protest
  14. race — humankind
  15. net — after costs
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rash — hasty
  19. face — to confront
  20. stem — to come from
  21. face — part of the head
  22. net — for catching
  23. field — for sport
  24. object — a thing

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