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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. field — farmland
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — for sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — there
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — to drill
  17. key — in music
  18. present — the time now
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. hand — help
  22. present — a gift
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — in cards

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