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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — a subject
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. track — a path
  7. field — farmland
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. court — for sport
  10. capital — a city
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. track — to keep track
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. court — of a king
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. court — of law
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a song
  24. ruler — for measuring

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