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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. charge — in control
  10. field — a subject
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rash — hasty
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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