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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. land — to come down
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chip — to eat
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. land — a country
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cell — a phone
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chip — for betting

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