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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. swing — in golf
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — clever
  9. field — a subject
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. field — farmland
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. swing — music
  22. field — for sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pit — in a race

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