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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. field — farmland
  7. mark — a grade
  8. file — a line of people
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. spell — letters
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mark — a trace
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — completely
  18. current — of water
  19. file — a document
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chair — a leader

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