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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
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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: pit · toast · field · cue · patient · leaves · bat · rush

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — a subject
  3. toast — bread
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. field — for sport
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pit — a hole
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. cue — a hint
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. field — farmland
  24. bat — for baseball

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