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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. net — for catching
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. band — a ring
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pit — in a race
  21. net — after costs
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mouse — the animal

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