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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 116 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: season · patient · pound · racket · bat · cabinet · field · ball

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — farmland
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ball — a dance
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — of the year
  21. field — a subject
  22. ball — a great time
  23. season — in sport
  24. ball — a round shape

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