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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. fine — high quality
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. root — of a word
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — a match
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stand — to bear
  17. root — of a plant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fine — all right
  21. root — the cause
  22. scale — in music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — a kind of play

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