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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. field — for sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. present — the time now
  13. field — a subject
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — a gift
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. present — there
  24. squash — the vegetable

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