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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. last — finally
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — a subject
  6. court — for sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. spell — magic
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. field — for sport
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — letters
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pound — a weight

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