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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mate — to breed
  4. field — for sport
  5. spell — magic
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. field — a subject
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — farmland
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. deal — to handle
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spell — a short time
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spell — letters

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