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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. club — for dancing
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bass — the fish
  6. club — for golf
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. field — farmland
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. track — to keep track
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. field — for sport
  16. club — a group
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. track — a path
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. track — a song
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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