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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. field — a subject
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. key — for a lock
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. firm — a company
  9. mug — a face
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — to cut
  12. craft — a skill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. firm — steady
  19. mug — a cup
  20. field — farmland
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — for sport
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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