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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hand — in cards
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. present — there
  5. pit — in a race
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. degree — from a university
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. field — for sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. present — the time now
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pit — a hole
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kick — in football
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. snap — to click
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. present — a gift
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hand — help

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