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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. last — finally
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — to go on
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. game — wild animals
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. last — final
  20. game — a match
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rock — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. race — a contest

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