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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. suit — in cards
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. field — farmland
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — for catching
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. suit — to fit
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. field — a subject
  24. patient — a sick person

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