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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. suit — clothes
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fork — in a road
  12. field — farmland
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. degree — an amount
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  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