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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 124 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. net — in sport
  2. cue — a signal
  3. march — the month
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mug — a face
  6. net — after costs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. field — farmland
  13. cue — a hint
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cue — for pool
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. field — for sport
  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