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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — an illness
  4. present — the time now
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — not warm
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — after costs
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — a skill
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chip — to eat
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bound — certain
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — boats
  23. net — for catching
  24. chip — for betting

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