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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. key — in music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — employees
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. field — farmland
  10. key — the most important part
  11. perch — the fish
  12. game — a match
  13. key — for a lock
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — employees
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. staff — a stick

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