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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ground — a position
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. field — a subject
  6. mug — to rob
  7. ground — the earth
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mug — a cup
  10. ball — a great time
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. field — farmland
  13. game — a match
  14. spring — a coil
  15. field — for sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — the season
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mug — a face
  24. spring — of water

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