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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. firm — steady
  4. field — farmland
  5. mark — a trace
  6. firm — a company
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. field — for sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. capital — a city
  15. bat — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — decided
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mark — to pay attention

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