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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stock — shares
  8. face — to point toward
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. rule — government
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stock — goods
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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