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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 116 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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. field — a subject
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. net — in sport
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. current — happening now
  17. net — for catching
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — after costs
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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