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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: field · patient · toast · ball · press · cue · ground · kid

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. kid — child
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cue — for pool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. press — to push
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. kid — to tease
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. press — a publisher
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cue — a signal
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ground — a position
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. toast — bread
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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