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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bound — certain
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. field — farmland
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bound — tied together
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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