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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. charge — in control
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. charge — electricity
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. charge — a price
  21. drill — the tool
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rock — to move gently

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