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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pitch — completely
  15. toast — bread
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. craft — boats
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. patient — a sick person

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