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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. suit — to fit
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. field — farmland
  11. fork — in a road
  12. last — final
  13. field — a subject
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. field — for sport
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. suit — in cards
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. suit — clothes

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