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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — a box
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. club — for golf
  10. field — for sport
  11. club — a group
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — a series
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rock — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — to confront
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pass — a permit

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