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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. object — to protest
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — a face
  7. last — final
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. last — finally
  14. field — for sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mug — to rob
  17. last — to go on
  18. object — an aim
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wind — moving air
  24. object — a thing

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