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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ground — a position
  11. bat — the animal
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spring — a coil
  17. club — for golf
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spring — the season
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rule — a law
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ground — the earth

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