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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a music group
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. game — a match
  7. field — for sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. band — a ring
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — farmland
  19. shower — to wash
  20. vault — a safe
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — a subject
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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