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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. clip — for paper
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mug — a face
  5. clip — a video
  6. stock — goods
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. key — the most important part
  10. field — farmland
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. march — the month
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mug — to rob
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. march — the month
  20. field — for sport
  21. march — music
  22. mug — a cup
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stock — shares

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