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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. firm — steady
  5. cold — not warm
  6. field — farmland
  7. kick — in football
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. firm — a company
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. firm — decided
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. drill — a practice
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. field — for sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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