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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 your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. march — music
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. land — a country
  6. current — happening now
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. kick — in football
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. current — of water
  17. land — ground
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. current — electric
  24. march — the month

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