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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.

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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. row — to paddle
  11. land — ground
  12. row — a line
  13. season — in sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. season — of the year
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. land — to come down
  19. drill — army training
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. land — a country
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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