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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. field — a subject
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. roll — a list
  9. mate — a partner
  10. present — the time now
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. perch — the fish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. present — a gift
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. present — there
  19. sharp — clever
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. field — for sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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