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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. field — a subject
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — thin
  10. fall — the season
  11. field — farmland
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bore — to tire
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. field — for sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ball — a great time
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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