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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: arm · race · field · wind · toast · patient · bass · court

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. field — farmland
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of law
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. field — a subject
  14. race — a contest
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — low music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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