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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. firm — decided
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. firm — a company
  6. spring — of water
  7. squash — to crush
  8. field — farmland
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. firm — steady
  21. squash — the sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. spring — the season
  24. chair — a professorship

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