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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. chest — of your body
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — a subject
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. present — the time now
  18. chest — a box
  19. can — a tin
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. capital — a city
  23. can — to be able to
  24. capital — a big letter

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