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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — after costs
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spring — of water
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. spring — the season
  13. field — a subject
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spring — a coil
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. net — in sport

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