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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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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — a song
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. track — a path
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. game — a match
  14. season — in sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — the animal

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