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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. race — a contest
  13. court — of law
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. land — ground
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. race — humankind
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. race — the arms race
  24. patient — a sick person

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