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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · cabinet · jam · patient · field · racket · mate · chest

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — to breed
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fine — all right
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. chest — a box
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — of your body
  22. field — a subject
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. field — farmland

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