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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 120 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mate — a friend
  4. field — farmland
  5. rest — what's left
  6. board — to get on
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — a committee
  12. court — for sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a ring
  15. field — for sport
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mate — a partner
  19. band — a music group
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. field — a subject

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