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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — in sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — crushed
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fall — the season
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fall — to drop
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — for catching
  18. ground — the earth
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — a position
  22. net — after costs
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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