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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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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: bat · patient · kick · scale · field · squash · last · spell

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. last — finally
  3. scale — in music
  4. spell — magic
  5. squash — the sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. squash — to crush
  8. field — a subject
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. kick — in football
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. field — for sport
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. last — to go on
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. spell — letters
  23. last — final
  24. scale — for weighing

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