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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a great time
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a match
  5. season — in sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. season — of the year
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pass — a permit
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person

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