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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. land — ground
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — a country
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rash — a series
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. land — to come down
  24. mug — a cup

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