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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — to go on
  5. chest — a box
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. last — finally
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. plane — a tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. field — a subject
  19. pitch — completely
  20. field — farmland
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — for sport

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