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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ball — a dance
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. field — a subject
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. capital — money
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — for sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rock — music
  14. ball — a great time
  15. field — farmland
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. capital — a city
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rock — a stone

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