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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. field — a subject
  7. pound — a weight
  8. field — farmland
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. field — for sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ball — a dance
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spell — letters
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. spell — magic
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cabinet — ministers

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