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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. game — wild animals
  16. vault — a safe
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. season — in sport
  21. game — a match
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  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