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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. club — for dancing
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — for digging
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. march — the month
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. club — a group
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. field — for sport
  17. rest — a break
  18. drill — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — an explosive

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