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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 116 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: patient · kick · fork · bowl · cue · file · field · pitcher

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. file — a document
  3. cue — a signal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. field — for sport
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. file — a tool
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. field — a subject
  12. cue — for pool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. field — farmland
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fork — in a road
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. cue — a hint

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