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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. field — a subject
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — farmland
  10. scale — in music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. spring — a coil
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spring — of water
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — the season
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitch — completely

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