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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. key — in music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. field — for sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. sharp — clever
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. vault — a safe
  12. land — ground
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — a country
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. perch — the fish
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stand — to bear
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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