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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
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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: patient · game · foot · temple · date · scale · file · field

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. field — farmland
  5. game — a match
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. field — a subject
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — for sport
  18. scale — size or range
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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