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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a song
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. shower — rain
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rule — a law
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. staff — employees
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. shower — to wash
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — a country
  23. rule — government
  24. leaves — of a tree

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