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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. field — farmland
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — for sport
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — an injury
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. field — a subject
  19. plane — a tool
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chip — for betting
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. racket — for tennis

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