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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cap — a lid
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. swing — in golf
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. game — wild animals
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. jam — a tight spot

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