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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — for sport
  9. rock — music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. field — farmland
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. perch — the fish
  17. field — a subject
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  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