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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: roll · present · cold · field · patient · kick · cue · mug

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. field — farmland
  10. roll — a cake
  11. present — the time now
  12. cue — a hint
  13. roll — a list
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. cold — an illness
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. field — a subject

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