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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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 — for sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. kick — in football
  9. pit — in a race
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pit — a hole
  23. patient — a sick person
  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