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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. roll — a list
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. court — of a king
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — farmland
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. field — a subject
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kick — in football
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. roll — a cake
  24. field — for sport

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