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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pop — to visit
  5. game — a match
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pop — soda
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pop — music
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pass — a permit
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chip — to eat
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chip — for betting
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — wild animals
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — of water

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