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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. stand — to bear
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. rock — a stone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rock — music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. field — farmland
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. last — final
  24. saw — the tool

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