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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rock — music
  3. craft — a skill
  4. can — a tin
  5. craft — boats
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. rule — government
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. field — farmland
  13. ball — a great time
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. can — to be able to
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ball — a dance
  23. field — for sport
  24. rock — a stone

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