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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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 — to move gently
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rock — music
  5. chest — a box
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. ball — a dance
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. field — for sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a cake
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  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