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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. staff — employees
  3. court — of law
  4. staff — employees
  5. chest — a box
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. staff — a stick
  8. court — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. shower — rain
  17. field — a subject
  18. mate — a partner
  19. can — a tin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. court — of a king
  22. chest — of your body
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — for sport

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