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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. foot — a measure
  6. object — to protest
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cue — for pool
  10. object — an aim
  11. degree — an amount
  12. can — a tin
  13. cue — a signal
  14. object — a thing
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — temperature
  18. field — farmland
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cue — a hint
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. degree — from a university
  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