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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ground — a position
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. field — for sport
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. land — ground
  14. ground — the earth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — to come down
  17. game — wild animals
  18. land — a country
  19. mug — a face
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — high quality
  22. game — a match
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mug — a cup

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