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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — in music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. fine — all right
  10. ball — a great time
  11. staff — a stick
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fine — high quality
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. field — a subject
  24. patient — a sick person

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