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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 120 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: patient · present · perch · kick · mug · ball · field · kid

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — the time now
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ball — a dance
  11. present — a gift
  12. ball — a great time
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — a subject
  16. mug — a cup
  17. present — there
  18. mug — a face
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — for sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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