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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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 — farmland
  2. pit — a hole
  3. field — for sport
  4. pit — in a race
  5. club — a group
  6. file — a document
  7. chip — for betting
  8. field — a subject
  9. club — for dancing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. club — for golf
  16. ball — a great time
  17. deal — to handle
  18. file — a tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chip — to eat
  21. ball — a dance
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a line of people
  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