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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. field — a subject
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — for sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fall — the season
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — to drop
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stock — goods
  24. safe — a strongbox

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