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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. field — for sport
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — low music
  9. field — a subject
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. field — farmland
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rash — a series
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lie — an untruth

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