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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — a trail
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. field — for sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. field — farmland
  10. degree — an amount
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chair — a leader
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rest — a break
  21. field — a subject
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. lean — thin
  24. racket — for tennis

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