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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · field · bore · patient · club · file · saw · game

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. suit — in cards
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — to fit
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. file — a line of people
  10. field — farmland
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. suit — clothes
  16. file — a document
  17. field — a subject
  18. club — a group
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. file — a tool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bore — to tire
  24. club — for golf

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