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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rest — a break
  4. ball — a dance
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. field — a subject
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a ring
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ball — a great time
  19. chest — of your body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. staff — employees
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a music group
  24. ball — a round shape

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