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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. drill — army training
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — to come down
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pop — to visit
  16. land — a country
  17. pop — music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pop — soda
  20. wind — moving air
  21. land — ground
  22. mug — to rob
  23. can — a tin
  24. mug — a cup

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