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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — in cards
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mark — a trace
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pit — in a race
  19. field — a subject
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pit — a hole
  23. hand — help
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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