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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — in control
  5. race — a contest
  6. field — farmland
  7. bat — the animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — for sport
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. key — the most important part
  13. squash — the sport
  14. charge — a price
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. race — the arms race
  17. band — a music group
  18. field — a subject
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. key — for a lock
  21. squash — to crush
  22. charge — electricity
  23. race — humankind
  24. band — a rubber band

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