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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. field — for sport
  3. present — there
  4. rule — government
  5. lie — to recline
  6. craft — boats
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. craft — a skill
  10. game — a match
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. field — farmland
  14. present — the time now
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — a subject
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rule — a law

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