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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — in sport
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — in football
  14. season — of the year
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. shower — rain
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cap — a hat
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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