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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. field — for sport
  7. lie — to recline
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fine — all right
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — farmland
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tube — a container
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. swing — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. craft — boats

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