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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. row — a line
  3. firm — steady
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. firm — a company
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cap — of ice
  8. net — for catching
  9. firm — decided
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — for digging
  20. charge — electricity
  21. net — after costs
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cap — a hat

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