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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stand — to bear
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — certain
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. shower — rain
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. ball — a dance
  16. hand — help
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — to wash
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — tied together
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — obliged

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