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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
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: tear · pitcher · dip · patient · court · field · toast · key

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. key — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. toast — bread
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tear — to rip
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. field — farmland
  15. dip — to sink
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tear — from crying
  18. key — for a lock
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — from crying
  22. court — of law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — for sport

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