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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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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: game · racket · spell · ground · patient · fan · bay · field

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spell — magic
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — a short time
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — farmland
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — crushed
  12. game — a match
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. field — a subject
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. field — for sport
  17. game — wild animals
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spell — letters
  20. ground — a position
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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