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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: present · suit · rule · court · bat · ground · patient · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. present — the time now
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rule — government
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. court — for sport
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bat — the animal
  11. court — of a king
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. suit — to fit
  15. court — of law
  16. rule — a law
  17. suit — in cards
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. present — there
  21. ground — a position
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. present — a gift
  24. ground — crushed

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