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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. staff — employees
  5. swing — in golf
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — for sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rule — government
  11. tube — a container
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — a law
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. swing — to play on
  19. ball — a great time
  20. swing — music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — farmland
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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