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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. march — the month
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. march — the month
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. firm — decided
  17. cold — an illness
  18. kick — in football
  19. firm — steady
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. march — music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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