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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. bat — the animal
  4. land — ground
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. land — to come down
  7. squash — to crush
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. season — of the year
  15. mug — to rob
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. land — a country
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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