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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. field — for sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bear — the animal
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — farmland
  11. court — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. capital — money
  14. chest — of your body
  15. court — of a king
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bear — the animal
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. capital — a city
  23. chest — of your body
  24. capital — a big letter

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