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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. land — a country
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spell — letters
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mug — a face
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. spell — magic
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cabinet — ministers

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