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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.

Make a worksheet

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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. charge — electricity
  7. net — for catching
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. land — a country
  12. net — after costs
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — the fish
  16. charge — a price
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. net — in sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. charge — in control
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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