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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cue — a hint
  4. plane — a tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. cue — for pool
  10. season — of the year
  11. last — to go on
  12. ground — the earth
  13. field — farmland
  14. ground — crushed
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ground — a position
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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