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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. field — a subject
  4. drill — a practice
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — a city
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. capital — money
  16. pass — a permit
  17. drill — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. drill — army training
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. field — farmland
  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