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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. rock — a stone
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rock — music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. field — farmland
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — a subject
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rest — a break
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. field — for sport
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. patient — a sick person
  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