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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fall — the season
  3. land — to come down
  4. charge — in control
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. charge — electricity
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. charge — a price
  14. land — ground
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. game — a match
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tear — to rip
  23. land — a country
  24. game — wild animals

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