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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. firm — a company
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bore — to tire
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. firm — steady
  8. net — after costs
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cell — in biology
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. net — in sport
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. season — in sport
  18. cell — a phone
  19. season — of the year
  20. firm — decided
  21. net — for catching
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chip — to eat

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