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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — help
  5. pit — a hole
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. hand — in cards
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. toast — bread
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. field — a subject
  18. last — to go on
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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