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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. clip — to cut
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. last — final
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — to go on
  18. field — for sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. clip — for paper
  21. last — finally
  22. field — farmland
  23. squash — to crush
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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