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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fine — all right
  12. field — a subject
  13. fine — high quality
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fork — in a road
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fine — a penalty

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