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

Word bank: patient · field · club · racket · wound · mate · pit · straw

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. field — farmland
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pit — a hole
  14. field — for sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. field — a subject
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — an injury
  23. club — for golf
  24. racket — for tennis

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