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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rock — a stone
  3. field — a subject
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chip — for betting
  6. field — for sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. club — for golf
  9. chip — to eat
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. can — a tin
  14. rock — music
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mine — for digging
  18. can — a tin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. club — a group
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rock — to move gently

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