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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — for sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. field — farmland
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cap — a hat
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rash — a series
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — clever
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — a subject
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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