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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. game — wild animals
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. press — a publisher
  7. field — farmland
  8. press — to push
  9. pop — soda
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. board — to get on
  15. pop — to visit
  16. club — for golf
  17. plane — a tool
  18. club — a group
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pop — music
  21. board — a committee
  22. club — for dancing
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. press — newspapers

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