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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 116 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. field — for sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — to keep track
  9. object — an aim
  10. sharp — clever
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. band — a music group
  14. bat — the animal
  15. object — to protest
  16. field — farmland
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. band — a ring
  20. track — a path
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. object — a thing
  24. track — a song

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