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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. shower — to wash
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ball — a great time
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rule — a law
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. toast — bread

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