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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. land — to come down
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. scale — in music
  10. ground — a position
  11. game — a match
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — a country
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. land — ground
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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