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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — for paper
  4. charge — in control
  5. land — ground
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. clip — to cut
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. firm — decided
  13. clip — a video
  14. charge — a price
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mate — to breed
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — a friend
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mate — a partner
  21. firm — steady
  22. land — to come down
  23. firm — a company
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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